The World Bird Sanctuary’s mission is to preserve the earth’s biological diversity and to secure the future of threatened bird species in their natural environments. We work to fulfill that mission through education, captive breeding, field studies and rehabilitation.

Friday, August 30, 2013

Following is Chapter 2 in
the saga of the CSI Bird Patrol from the pen of Field Studies Supervisor Neal
Cowan.To see Chapter 1 use the
search box at the top left-hand corner of this page and enter CSI.

Chapter 2:

The
sunrise was cloaked in grey as the dreary day rolled on. Agent Baird had been raised from bed
far too early this cold morning.There had been a break-in down on old Jay Bird Street. Four people were missing.It didn’t look good.A member of the notorious Cowbird gang
had been picked up on the scene and Blue and Chicka were on their way to
headquarters to do a little interrogating.

Corinne Tarin, brains of the Cowbird
gang

Corinne
Tarin: brains of the Cowbird gang.She is always looking out for her family.Her big brother Pryce is the muscle (and the leader if you
ask him) of the gang.He is about
as quick as a damp rag and just as clever, but Tarin keeps him out of
trouble.Together you could say
they are more of a nuisance then an actual gang.They run in a diverse group with the Starlings and the
Blackbirds, living off the backs of others, and always in trouble.Tarin keeps a finger on the pulse of
the underworld, so on a cloudy day she always has valuable information to trade
for the protection of the family.

Tarin
sat alone in the poorly lit room.The cold metal of the table before her offering comfort as the shadows
crept from her mind and danced around her at the edge of the light.Tarin was no stranger to this
room.The interrogation room
usually provided Tarin a certain solace, but today was different.This time she didn’t have the upper
hand.The knowledge in her head
could not buy her safety now.This
time it would be her betrayer.No
hope could hold back the fear; the nightmare of the night before.

The
shadows cowered into oblivion as Beau entered the room and shut the door.Taking his seat at the other side of
the table, eyes hidden beneath his fedora, he began interrogating: in silence.His presence alone was enough to ease
her spirits.The other cops
treated her like a petty criminal, but Blue, in his own way, treated her like a
person.He could speak a thousand
words with his silence.A
half-cocked smile formed on her face as she realized how cute it was that he
thought he was such an enigma, but she could see right through him.It made it that much more unbearable
that she was now going to disappoint him.

“I’m
sorry.”

An
eternity passed after she said those words. Blue just sat there.

“Well…?”
fighting the tears forming in her eyes. “Lock me up and throw away the key!
That’s it! That’s all there is to it!”

HE’S
GOT MY FAMILY BLUE!!!

Meanwhile:

“I
don‘know what you want me to tell you Caroline?Unless Blue can get somethin’ outa her there ain’ nothin I can
do”.The chief tried to escape to
his office but Chicka just followed him right in.

“Chief,
you know there’s no way the Cowbirds are responsible for this!You saw that place!What could they possibly have to gain?

“Ugh,
listen Chicka, I know it don’ look good.The whole sitiation stinks like rotten mayo, but there ain’ nothin I can
do aboud’it.That girl was the
only one at the scene, her fingerprints are everywhere.She looks guilty and she won’t say a
darn thing to the contrary”.

With
a sigh Chicka slumped down into the embrace of the cold hard wooden chair in
the corner, much to the Chief’s chagrin.The otherwise uninviting room wasn’t doing its job; uninviting the bird
now planted in the corner.It
would be cozy if the Chief didn’t keep all the window shades shut tight and the
thermostat low.He rounded the big
oak desk and planted himself in his chair, letting out a heavy sigh as he
brought his weight off his feet.

“Has
anyone contacted the husband yet”?

The
Chief cracked his neck before giving his reply. “No”.

Chicka
just stared.

“He
works in the Tech industry.Was
overseas doing work for some big defense contractor, PredGuard?… I think?I don’know.He won’t answer his phone and he hasn’t responded to any of
our emails yet”... The Chief’s sentence trailed off as his gaze drifted into
space.

“What
is it Chief”?Chicka perked up in
her seat.

“Now that I think on it, something fishy happened
when we first tried to get in touch with our missing husband.The first call we made was to his cell
phone.No one answers right, but
just then this guy calls us.Some
bigwig.Says he’s the guy’s boss
and wants to know if there’s anything he can do.Sounded alright then, but… How did he know we were
lookin?We didn’t call him…hell we
didn’t even know who he was!How
did I not catch that ‘til now”?!

“So
who was he”?

“I
don’know. Called himself Rocown? Ricky Rocown.”

To be continued…

Submitted by Neal Cowan,
World Bird Sanctuary Field Studies Supervisor

Free, fun, family-friendly environmental education programs
are presented by our naturalists, using snakes, parrots, birds and mammals to
teach you about the amazing creatures that share our planet, and what we can do
to help them survive.

Monday, August 26, 2013

The Rebounds play danceable classic rock. Their selection of music spans several decades with a solid representation of the 70's and 80's.

Join us Thursday 8/29 for the music of The Rebounds

If you were to ask where The Rebounds are from, you'll get a varied answer. The four members hail from Robertsville, Eureka, Webster Groves, and St. Charles. The musicians, Chris Johnson, Gary Allgood, Kyle Walz, and Matt Sokeland, have several decades of musical experience and are known for creating a medley of songs that gives older tunes a fresh sound. Artists you will hear are Poison, Billy Joel, John Mellenkamp, Van Morrison, The Romantics, Wilson Pickett, Black Crowes, and more.

Saturday, August 24, 2013

This summer the beautiful, cooler-than-normal weather and
lack of humidity has resulted in me doing a little more of the tourist thing
with friends.

Aldabra
Tortoise

One of the stops I made early in the month was at Grant’s
Farm; a small, but entertaining facility in St. Louis county.This was the first time I had ever been
there as just a tourist, and I have lived here for 8 years.One of my favorite photos from that day
was a close up of the Aldabra Tortoise.This is the largest tortoise in the world from the island of
Aldabra.The two tortoises at
Grant’s Farm have been there since 1954.

Siberian
Tiger

Later in the month a friend and I did a big day of three
stops.The first stop was
Riverside Reptile Ranch, in central Franklin County, for a private tour.We had a great tour of the facility and
anice up close look at many of the
animals.I took so many photos it
is hard to choose just one.This
facility not only has reptiles, but also many mammals.One of my favorite photos is a close-up
of the Siberian Tiger, largest big cat species in the world.This male slept while we took a look.

Stalagmites and stalactites with drip rings

Next stop on our trip was Meramec Caverns, also west of St.
Louis, in Franklin County.This
awesome cave is very worth the cost of the tour.At a cool 55 degrees we had about an hour and a half tour,
going down to about 360 ft below the surface of the earth.It was at this point I took one of my
favorite photos of the summer of the stalactites and stalagmites, with the
water making drip rings on the surface of the pool.

View of
St. Louis from the top of the Arch

The last stop was a stop at the Gateway Arch.I had been to the arch outside a few
times before, but never in and up.The concept of going up was a little nerve-racking considering I am not
a fan of heights.However, I made
it to the top with a few encouraging words from other visitors that had gone up
earlier with the same misgivings.Luckily it was a very calm day and not too hot.The view after a ride in the egg tram
was very beautiful.I have
included a photo of the Missouri view.

St.
Louis Gateway Arch

Lastly we walked over to the pond near the arch and took a
few photos, so my last photo is just a nice photo of the arch.

Sometimes taking the time to be a tourist in the town you
live in is nice.Just a few words
to the wise: early is always good as the crowds are smaller.Go early in the week if you can, and
just be patient.

Thursday, August 22, 2013

On Saturday, July 13th, 2013, World Bird
Sanctuary honored Bob Seyer with a Bald Eagle Release, for his contribution to
conservation and the World Bird Sanctuary’s Kathryn G. Favre Wildlife Hospital.

Since 2011, Mr. Bob Seyer has been building birdhouses and
donating them to World Bird Sanctuary’s wildlife hospital for sale, to support
the care and treatment of sick and injured wild birds, in the hopes that they
may be rehabilitated and returned to the wild.The birdhouses are built from wood which Mr. Seyer salvages
from construction sites that would otherwise be destined for landfill.He then fashions them into bluebird
nest boxes and wren nest boxes.Over the last three years, Mr. Seyer has donated 4,000 bird houses to
World Bird Sanctuary.These bird
houses are sold for $2-$3 each, and have raised approximately $9,000 for the
wildlife hospital over the last three years.

Mr. Bob Seyer gets ready to release the eagle into the wild (Photo by Donna Tucker)

Earlier this year, a bald eagle was admitted to the Kathryn
G. Favre Wildlife Hospital at World Bird Sanctuary after injuring its wing when
it hit a high tension power line over the Mississippi river.It was rescued from the water by a
passing boat captain and brought to World Bird Sanctuary.After months of intensive treatment and
rehabilitation, it was deemed ready to be returned to the wild in early
July.Joe Hoffmann, Sanctuary
Manager at World Bird Sanctuary, asked Mr. Seyer to release the eagle, as a way
of honoring his contribution to helping the birds admitted to the wildlife
hospital.

Another Bald Eagle flies free. (Photo by Donna Tucker)

On Saturday, July 13th, 2013, at Bee
Tree Park in Oakville, Mr. Seyer released the eagle back to the wild – where it
flew over the Mississippi before disappearing out of sight. It was a memorable occasion, and a
fitting way to acknowledge the wonderful service that Mr. Seyer is providing to
World Bird Sanctuary and the birds in our community.

Friday, August 16, 2013

As I was leaving the World
Bird Sanctuary Nature Center after a day of volunteering in the office, I
happened to venture into the amphitheater as two of our naturalists were giving
one of our Harris’ Hawk fliers its daily exercise.At the end of every day two of our naturalist/trainers
exercise our flying performers by taking them out on stage and flying them
between the two staff members.Of
course, the bird knows that there is a treat of tasty rat meat at the end of
each flight.

Even though there are
treats involved, some of the birds aren’t as quick to respond to the trainer’s
cue as this one was.I wasn’t sure
which bird this was (since to me all Harris’ Hawks look pretty much alike), but
I was mesmerized by its concentration and intensity.No sooner would she land on the trainer’s glove and devour
the treat than she would be ready for the return trip.The bird sat on the trainer’s glove
like a coiled spring, anticipating the next cue from the other trainer.After the flying session was over I
discovered that this spot-on performer was Tequila, one of our veteran fliers.

Harris’ Hawks are unusual
in the raptor world in that they are not lone hunters.Due to scarcity of day-active preyin their desert environment a family will work
together cooperatively (somewhat like a wolf pack) to hunt and capture
prey.

One bird will land on the
very top of a Saguaro cactus, and then another will land on top of that bird
and another on top of that one until they are stacked as much as three or four
high.Hence, the name for this
behavior—stacking!

From this vantage point,
and with many sets of eyes scanning the desert, any movement on the desert
floor couldsignal the presence of a prey
animal. Watching Tequila’s intensity I could only imagine what it must feel
like to be a prey animal (mouse, rat, rabbit, etc.) when these wolves of the
sky are on the hunt.

Over the years I have
attempted to photograph many of our Harris’ Hawks in flight, but in my opinion
they are one of the most difficult to capture—digitally or on film.Their speed in flight is amazing.However, this particular day some of
Tequila’s concentration must have rubbed off on me as I did manage to get several
acceptable photos of this brown dynamo.

If you would like to see
Tequila in action join us for Birds in Concert any Thursday night in
August.Tequila and a number of
our other performing animals will light up our stage, along with our in-house
band, The Raptor Project.In
addition to our birds and The Raptor Project, each Birds in Concert features a
different guest performer.

Where else can you find
entertainment featuring live music, guest artists, and flying birds--and all
for FREE!

Birds in Concert
Information

When:Every
Thursday in August

Time:7:00
pm – 8:30 pm

Where:The
World Bird Sanctuary amphitheater

125
Bald Eagle Ridge Road

Valley
Park, MO 63088

Bring your family, friends
and picnics.Food will also be
available from our snack table.

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Several
weeks ago I had the opportunity to visit one very unique classroom.In fact, I kind of insisted on seeing
it for myself after receiving a phone call from Mike Coyne-Logan, crewman, who
was inquiring if we would be able to have a few of our educational programs at
their site.

Mike
explained to me that this was a “floating classroom” that was on a barge.This led to multiple questions, which
would clearly best be answered on site and in person.We coordinated schedules for when the barge would be located
close to our area and met up in Alton, Illinois.This began my introduction to an organization that WBS wantsto collaborate with for many years to come.

Exterior of the floating classroom which is built from recycled materials

This
floating classroom, which was built from recycled materials in 2011, is the
pride of the not for profit companyLiving Lands
& Waters.It was constructed
to be as eco-friendly as possible, with solar panels and a wind turbine to
conserve diesel fuel.This
organization shares a mission that lines right up along with ours at WBS.

Hard to believe this classroom was constructed entirely from reclaimed materials

Their
Mission:

To aid in
the protection, preservation and restoration of the natural environment of the
nations’ major rivers and their watersheds.

To expand
awareness of environmental issues and responsibility encompassing the river.

To create
a desire and an opportunity for stewardship and responsibility for a cleaner
river environment.

In
layman’s terms, this group travels up and down the Mississippi, Ohio, Illinois,
Missouri, Potomac and Anacostia Rivers and coordinates clean ups with
volunteers, collecting literally thousands oftons
of garbage.They also work to
educate people about the environment and our watersheds.

I had
never heard of their organization before that first phone call.When I visited their floating
classroom, I was truly blown away.I saw with my own eyes the impact that they are having, from the awesome
construction and creative use of recycled materials for the classroom, to the
literal tons of garbage that was being collected from our own back yard.

This mountain of garbage was pulled from our river in just two weeks

I stood there looking at the amount of
garbage that had been pulled out of the river in a two-week time frame, in
sheer amazement and disbelief.In
that very moment an adult Bald Eagle soared just a few feet above our heads, so
close that we were able to identify the large fish he carried in his talons as
a silvercarp.I literally got goose bumps and declared that the Bald Eagle
flying over had to have been a sign.We are really looking forward to working with Living Lands &
Waters.

Visit
their website at www.livinglandsandwaters.org to learn more about what they do
and to see how you can get involved in the cleanup efforts.You can also find them on Facebook
under Living Lands and Waters.

Monday, August 12, 2013

Javier Mendoza and Jim Peters with The Reserve at Birds in Concert this Thursday!

Javier Mendoza returns to our stage this Thursday along with Jim Peters for a rocking good time

The folk-rock collective The Reserve was formed in 2013 by longtime collaborators Javier Mendoza and Jim Peters. The Reserve combines elements of laid-back storytelling with moments of white-knuckle guitar acrobatics, filtering all of this through a pop sensibility with just a touch of twang.

Mendoza and Peters have played music together since 2001, touring both the United States and Europe. They have opened for such artists as Willie Nelson, Los Lobos, Ben Folds, and Chuck Berry. Vocalist/guitarist Javier Mendoza has released several acclaimed records as a solo artist. Guitarist/vocalist Peters was a member of the alt-rock group The Uptight Animals when not appearing with Mendoza.

Important Information

Date: Thursday, August
15th, 2013

Time: 7.00 - 8.30pm

Admission: Parking: FREE!

Sponsored by:

Join us for the Raptor Project,
followed by The Reserve.

Spin the
Whole Foods Market Wheel during intermission for fun prizes,

PLUS the chance to
win a Kindle tablet from Nationwide Hendrixson Agency!

Bring your blankets, picnics
and friendsand join us for a fun evening of
music!

Saturday, August 10, 2013

This
small kite is grey in color with distinct red eyes and a long black tail.Their diet consists of large flying
insects that are caught while the bird ison the
wing.For about the last 25 yearsthe Mississippi Kite has been sighted in St. Louis during
summer months.They will raise their youngin
pockets of St. Louis city and county.

One of two young Mississippi Kites currently in our hospital's exercise mews

With this
being my third summer working at WBS’s rehabilitation hospital I have slowly
noticed trends where certain species breed in the surrounding St. Louis
area.

We recently received a 3
week oldMississippi Kite that had fallen from a
nest about 50 feet off the ground.Luckily for the little one the land owner brought it to our wildlife
hospital.It was found after an
examination that the kite has no injuries.I got to thinking about the St. Louis area and the
relationship with the Mississippi kite.After doing some homework I have discovered that Coniferous, or pineforest edges, grassland edges, and urban areas are
the preferred breeding habitat for this kite species.

This youngster was ready to take on the big bad photographer

Often
times this species is misidentified as the Peregrine Falcon--although the
Peregrine Falcon is over three times heavier.The global population of Mississippi Kitesis estimated to be as large as 100,000 individuals
with no signs of decline.Oftentimes multiple Mississippi kites will be seen flying and riding thermals,
or the warmair rising from the ground.The name for a group of kites has many
terms, including a “string”, “kettle”, and “brood” of kites.

In
mid-September the adults will start migrating to as far
south as Argentina and the juveniles are soon to follow. But, before you know
it they are back in the beginning of May.This is the time of the year when we will most likely receive adult
Mississippi kites at the wildlife hospital.

In the case of the baby received over the weekend, hopefully with a
few weeks of exercise at the WBS wildlife hospital and plenty of food the kites
will be returned back to the wild before the migration begins.

Thursday, August 8, 2013

The Great Tit is a
small (4.9–5.5 inches in length) passerine bird, but large in the family
Paridae, which includes chickadees and titmice.The species is very widespread, found in woodlands across
Europe, the Middle East, Central and Northern Asia, and parts of North
Africa.

A pair of Great Tits

These birds consume
mostly insects during the spring and summer.Once colder weather arrives and insects are scarce, they eat
more seeds, nuts, and berries.Similar to birds of prey, tits will hold larger food items in their feet
in order to eat.They will also
strike at the food with their beak until it is ready to devour.They can break open a hazelnut with
this method in about twenty minutes.They will hammer off the heads of large insects when feeding them to
their young.They will also hold
down large caterpillars with their feet and rip out their guts so the chicks do
not consume tannins (found in the plants eaten by caterpillers), which could inhibit
chick growth.

When food becomes
very scarce in the winter, these small birds turn into ravenous predatory
beasts!They will seek out and
hunt hibernating common pipistrelle bats!

A Common
Pipistrelle Bat in flight.

A study done at a
Hungarian cave, published in 2009, discovered that it was not an opportunistic
feeding behavior.The Great Tits
actively and purposely searched for the bats, then pulled them out of their roosting
cavities and pecked at their heads until they died.The bird then proceeded to eat their brains…so
nutritious!

The Great Tit has
also been witnessed to kill smaller passerine birds and eat their brains.One case reports Pied Flycatchers with
smashed skulls were found in a nest box taken over by Great Tits.There have also been reports of Great
Tits attacking and killing birds that were caught in nets or traps.They will attack small or weak birds
and split their heads open with their beaks to get to the brains!

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Audience youngsters sit enthralled by the Raptor Project while the bird parade passes behind them

Join
us on Thursday when World Bird Sanctuary's in-house band, "The Raptor
Project" takes to the stage to perform songs from their popular children's
environmental education CDs.Fan
favorites from the "Save the Future" and "All Along the
Watershed" albums include "Turkey Named Fred", "Roadkill
Shiver," "What's the Matter," "The Greatest Possum,"
and "Animal Noises."

Learn
fun and exciting facts about the animals we share our planet with as they share
the stage with The Raptor Project! Audience participation is encouraged!

Important
Information

Date:Thursday,
August 8th, 2013

Time:7.00
- 8.30pm

Admission & Parking:FREE!

Sponsored by:

Enjoy
music from The Raptor Project.

Spin
the Whole Foods Market Wheel during intermission for fun prizes

PLUS enter our drawing for a chance to win a Kindle tablet from Nationwide Hendrixson Agency!

Bring your blankets, picnics and friends and join us for a fun evening of music. Food will also be available for purchase at our snack table.

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Shoebill storks are native
to East-Central Africa.They favor
freshwater swamps and dense marshes where they eat fish, young waterfowl,
amphibians, and small reptiles – including baby crocodiles!These birds are very
prehistoric-looking and have a very unusual beak!It can be up to twelve inches long and five inches wide and
it resembles the shape of a wooden shoe.

The beak resembles the shape of a wooden shoe

Shoebills are fairly large
birds, with some reaching up to five feet in height with a wingspan of seven to
eight feet in length.They are
quite solitary birds; even a mating pair will often forage at separate ends of
their territory.The monogamous
pair builds a grassy nest on a floating platform of vegetation, up to nine feet
wide, often amid dense stands of Papyrus, which is similar to reeds in our
country.The female lays up to
three eggs but usually only onehatchling will
survive.The younger chicks are
considered to be back-ups in case the eldest chick doesn’t survive.Both parents will help to feed and
protect their young.They become
reproductively mature at three to four years old and can live up to thirty-six
years in captivity.

Some Shoebills may reach up to five feet in height

The Shoebill Stork is
mostly an ambush predator.They
stand absolutely still waiting for prey.Sometimes they will wade through the marsh very slowly in search of
their next meal.Once prey is
spotted they can move with amazing speed and power.The hook at the end of their large beak helps to grip and
crush.Click here
to see some amazing footage of a Shoebill Stork hunting lungfish!Their very large feet are well adapted
for standing and walking on aquatic vegetation while hunting.Their middle toe measures up to seven
inches in length!

Shoebills are listed as a
vulnerable species by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.Their population is declining because
of habitat loss, hunting, and capture for the black market bird trade.Their habitat is being destroyed in
order to create farmland and pasture.These birds are also hunted for food in some countries and their eggs
are collected and sold as food or to zoos or collectors.Capture and sale of these birds is a
problem, especially in Tanzania, where trading of the species is still
legal.In Zambia, fire and drought
threaten shoebill habitat, and nests are often crushed by large herbivores
foraging in the swamps.

If you want to help
endangered birds, part of the World Bird Sanctuary’s mission is to secure the
future of threatened bird species in their natural environments.You can help us fulfill that mission by
simply visiting us and spreading what you’ve learned, becoming a member or
friend, or adopting-a-bird and feeding that bird for a year!

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World Bird Sanctuary is located at 125 Bald Eagle Ridge Road Valley Park, MO 63088, just outside of St. Louis, MO.

We are open 363 days each year 8am-5pm (closed Thanksgiving & Christmas). The Visitor Information Center is open 11am-3pm every day.

For visitor information call 636-225-4390 or email us at education@worldbirdsanctuary.org

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